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7 Games You Can Play At Family Photo Sessions To Evoke Fun Shots!

Games to play at photo sessions when kids are little or won't cooperate! Simple games for photo shoots to make things fun and enjoyable! Photography tips for portrait photographers

Spoiler alert for all those family photographers out there.

Kids don’t always want to have their picture taken. They won’t always smile and might not even look at you, let alone your camera.

So what do you do if your trying to taking family or child photos and the kids just aren’t having it?

Don’t give up that easy! Just take a different approach. Have fun with photos. Use these 7 fun game prompts that you can play with kids and their families to evoke fun emotion and get you great shots!

RELATED ARTICLE: To learn more strategies for evoking natural interaction in families sessions read here.




1. Ring Around the Rosie

Depending on the age and number of kids, this is a fun one (and one the family can get in on too!) Have hem get in a circle and ask them to show you the game. Most kids will know this one right away! Then start snapping some pictures of them as a whole group AND get in close on some of the faces of the individuals too! You are bound to get some great smiles here for kids AND parents!

2.Races

This is fun and can even be done with just one kid too (just time them and have them try to beat their last time) Have them do running races, skipping races, bear crawl races, really whatever movement you can think up! Then take picture of them in movement. The results will be pretty fun!

Cansid shot of 7 children in the Downtown area

(shot with the Canon 135mm 2.0 lens)

3. Telephone

This can be played with the whole family or even just two siblings. Remember that game you played back in school where one person tells a secret and it goes through the whole group. Try it with the kids! Then take some photos as they tell secrets. (You could even prompt them to make up something silly or funny to get some giggle going in the game too)

Games You Can Play At Family Photo Sessions

Edited With The Cozy Clicks Perfect Portrait Photoshop Action Pack

4. Simon Says

You can be Simon or nominate one of the kids to play simon. Watch the movements they make each other do and make sure the capture the moment!

RELATED PODCAST: 

Games to play at photo sessions when kids are little or won't cooperate! Simple games for photo shoots to make things fun and enjoyable! Photography tips for portrait photographers

5. Tickle Fight

This is a fun one for any amount of kids and mom and dad too. Lay out a blanket and have them tickle each other in the tickle battle. The ones that laughs loudest is the winner!

Fun sisters portrait taken near the desert at Scorpio Gulch

(Shot with the Canon 135mm 2.0 lens)

6. Follow the Leader

Super easy game to play and requires no additional props. Just choose one child to lead the other family members in an easy game of follow the leader. You can get behind the line too to capture these shots.

Games You Can Play At Family Photo Sessions

(Shot with the Canon 50mm 1.4 lens)

©Sri Devi

7. Freeze Dance

Bring some music along (or play some from your phone) and let them just dance. But make it a game as well. When you pause the music, they’ve got to freeze. Make sure to get lots of pictures in as they break it down!

So if you get stuck next time your taking child portrait (or family photos) and the kids just don’t want to cooperate, make it fun!

Is there a game you’ve played before that’s worked when taking pictures of families? Let us know in a comment below!

Games to play at photo sessions when kids are little or won't cooperate! Simple games for photo shoots to make things fun and enjoyable! Photography tips for portrait photographers

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  • EllieJanuary 13, 2019 - 9:28 am

    Red light, green light is really good! Also a ‘who can make the silliest face contest’ I love your tips! Really useful! xReplyCancel

  • KelseyNovember 11, 2018 - 8:21 am

    Red light, green light works wonders for walking shots!ReplyCancel

    • EllieJanuary 13, 2019 - 9:28 am

      Yes! Use it the whole time! ReplyCancel

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